Unfried Fried Rice

Unfried Fried Rice (page 70)
with strips of Nomelet (baked vegan tofu omelet)

I have fond memories of making fried rice with egg, back in the day when we were fresh out of college and completely broke. It was so yummy and comforting. So, when inspiration hit me a few weeks ago to combine Isa's Unfried Fried Rice recipe with the Happy Herbivore's Nomelet, I got really excited to give this recipe (well, both recipes) a try.

I kept the add-ins super simple for the sake of the kids. It paid off, because SweetPea, normally not a fan of rice in any form, gobbled this up and asked for seconds. But I think it would also be great with lots of extra vegetables - carrots, zucchini, peas...

I used my cast-iron wok to make this, which I think was important in getting that crispy "fried" taste and texture here. Also, I found it necessary to turn up the heat a little higher than indicated to get things really going.

Served with a hefty portion of no-oil stir-fried broccoli in garlic, soy sauce, and a little tahini, this made a great healthy weeknight dinner.

Cranberry-Cashew Biryani

Cranberry-Cashew Biryani, page 67, before the finishing cilantro garnish

Okay, so that's kind of a terrible picture up there, but this was really yummy. Who cares that it's not really an authentic biryani? Not me. It was satisfying and delicious. El Hombre thought it was fantastic, too.

I love how colorful this dish is: the carrots, cranberries, and peas are like little jewels scattered throughout the yellow hued rice. I also really love that practically all the ingredients in this dish are pantry staples for me. So, theoretically, I could whip this up pretty much anytime.

The only problem with this dish? It makes a lot, and I wanted to eat a lot of it.

Polenta Stuffing (which turned into Polenta Stufffed Jalapenos)

Polenta Stuffed Jalepeno Peppers with a Creamy Lime Sauce
(adapted from Polenta Stuffing recipe, page 66)

I kept looking at the recipe for Polenta Stuffing in Appetite for Reduction, but I just wasn't feeling inspired. It's a stuffing recipe, so I felt like it needs to, you know, stuff something. Isa suggests using it to top off something like the Tamarind BBQ Tempeh & Sweet Potatoes. Now, while I'm sure that's quite yummy and delicious, that's not exactly stuffing... that's dressing.

So I mulled it over for a while, thinking about what I might stuff with this stuff. I went with jalepenos for an appetizer sort of dish to go with our Memorial Day cookout. I think it would also work well to stuff poblano peppers, as more of a main dish. Anyway, the end result here turned out very different than Isa's original recipe for Polenta Stuffing, but I think I rocked this dish. It's so good, in fact, that I'm going to share my recipe adaptation with y'all.

A few words on the use of oil: I went ahead and used the same amount of oil called for in the original recipe, because I was worried about the polenta sticking during the sauteing step. Even with a well-seasoned cast iron pan and the oil, I still had sticking issues, and my polenta cubes eventually fell apart. My stuffing turned out softer and less cube-y that what is intended in the original recipe, but for stuffing those jalepenos, that turned out to be the perfect thing, anyway.

Polenta Stuffed Jalepenos with Creamy Lime Sauce
(Adapted from Polenta Stuffing, page 66, from Appetite for Reduction)

12 jalepeno pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
18 ounces prepared polenta, cut into small-ish cubes (I used a sundried tomato and garlic variety)
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1 small onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds
pepper and salt, to taste
1 box of silken tofu, rinsed well
Juice of 3 limes
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes

Cut a lengthwise strip from each pepper. Remove and set aside for another use, like salsa or something. Remove the seeds and white parts from the inside of the pepper and discard. Rinse, if necessary, to get all the seeds out. Don't touch your eyes! Wear gloves, if you must.

Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with 1 teaspoon of the oil, and add the polenta. Saute for 12 to 15 minutes, tossing often. If the polenta starts to stick to the pan, that's okay - just scrape up the sticky parts and toss it around.

Add the celery, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and the remainder of the oil. Saute for another 7-10 minutes. By this time, the polenta should be mostly falling apart and getting mushy. Towards the end of your cooking time, dribble in a little water and stir things around until you get a softer consistency that is good for stuffing those peppers. Make sure you scrape up all the browned, sticky bits from the bottom of the pan and mix that in, too. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Using a spoon, stuff the jalepeno peppers with the polenta mixture. Then, you can either grill these or bake for 10-15 minutes in 425F oven.

To make the sauce, place the tofu, lime juice, granulated garlic and onion, salt, and nutritional yeast in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.

El Hombre grilled our stuffed jalepenos. Muy delicioso!

Brussels Sprout-Potato Hash

Brussels Sprout-Potato Hash, page 65
with scrambled tofu and toasted pumpernickel

Is it Tuesday already? Yes, yes it is. The month of May is turning out to be quite the crazy time for this family, and I'm really looking forward to things slowing down once June is here. However, we just returned from a great little family vacation last week, and this hash hit the spot as we settled back into home on Monday night.

It was pretty easy: slice up some Brussels sprouts and potatoes, cook until about tender, add some onion, garlic, thyme, and lemon zest for seasoning and cook another fifteen minutes or so, and it's done. Served with scrambled tofu and toasted pumpernickel, and it was like a cozy breakfast for dinner. SweatPea surprised me and went back for a second serving. While SweetPotato enjoyed the potatoes and seasonings, she reported the Brussels sprouts tasted a bit "strong" for her young taste buds. I enjoyed this dinner, as did El Hombre; leftovers were equally enjoyable as part of my lunch today.

Scallion Potato Pancakes

Scallion Potato Pancakes, page 61
served with a veggie-sesame stir fry

El Hombre returns with a guest post after some crazy schedules the last two weeks!

Tonight's Scallion Pancakes were definitely a big hit with kids and adults alike. The recipe is very straight forward, easy to execute, and just plain delicious. As Isa states, the pancakes are very delicate before baking and should be handled with care. After trying to gently coat the first pancake in panko breadcrumbs, I found it best to use a thin spatula from the start and forgo hands altogether. After coating, it was off to the oven to bake. One adjustment I would try next time is to reduce the temperature from 425 to 400 or 375 degrees to let the middle firm up more and not over-crisp the outside. I served the pancakes with some sautéed cabbage, broccoli, green beans, edamame, and toasted sesame seeds in a little soy sauce and presto - a great family feast!

Side note - La Mujer helped out with the sautéed veggies and the toasted sesame seeds. There might have been a slight over-toasting mishap with the first batch of sesame seeds. Let's not delve into the frivolous details and just say after some broken glass dinner still turned out great. :)

OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings

OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings, page 59

By Sunday, the whole family was back together again - I had returned from my trip to Bastrop, SweetPea was back home after celebrating her friend's birthday with an all-day outing to the mall, and El Hombre and SweetPotato were wiped out after many rounds of miniature golf and bumper cars at a local amusement park.

It was time to wrap up a busy weekend by firing up the grill to cook up some Gardenburger Veggie Medley Patties, serving them with some crispy, oven baked onion rings.

I'm going to say right up front that these onion rings were a p-i-t-a to make; it's messy work to dip each ring into the batter and then dredge in the crumbs, and I'm not entirely sure it was worth it. Don't get me wrong: these were good onion rings. Despite being oversalty (totally my fault), they were tasty, and they had the crispy texture you want in an onion ring. They are definitely waaaaaay better than Hungry Girl's Fiber One onion rings. But truthfully, I got more gastronomic pleasure from my veggie burger on a whole-wheat bun, topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and Dijon mustard, mmmm....

But don't let me discourage you. They were good. I might make them again. But I might not.

As an aside, look who showed up to the photo shoot - isn't he cute???

The green anole lizard cautiously contemplates the onion rings...

Upside-Down Lentil Shepherd's Pie

First, I want to say thank you to everyone who is stopping by for a visit here. This project is only two weeks old, and already I can feel your support. So, thank you!

Also, I wanted to give a little update on my progress in the weight-loss department. I'm down about 3 more pounds over the last two weeks. Yay me! Since the end of January, however, I've lost a total of about 13 pounds, so there's definitely a downward trend here.

I've been getting better at getting regular exercise and workouts in. I think I'm feeling a little more muscle tone here and there, and it's not my imagination. The dog and I are getting in some good walks together. I've been kicking my own butt doing cardio-strength drills with the Nike Training Club app. But food-wise, I need to focus a little more on Fuhrman's "basic skeleton plan" (fruit for breakfast, salad topped with beans for lunch, and more salad plus cooked vegetables along with the cup of whole grains/starchy vegetable for dinner), and make sure I'm fitting the AFR recipes into that framework, as much as possible. And I just need to remember to be patient with myself. It'll happen; I'll reach my goals.

But now, onto the recipe of the day:

Upside-Down Lentil Shepherd's Pie, pg 117

Isa, you win: I ate the mushrooms, and I liked it.

I mentioned already that I'm not really a fan of mushrooms, but somehow this worked for me. Was it the variety (shitake - not cheap, by the way)? Was it the way they were chopped up (pretty small - I was scared of ending up with big chunks)? Or was it the delicious combination of the other vegetables, spices, and seasonings (the Worcestershire here definitely gave it that "somethin' somethin'"), lusciously ladled over the cauliflower mashed potatoes?

I don't know. But I liked it, and I'd eat this again. Even with the mushrooms. Who am I?!??

Chickpea Piccata, Cauliflower Mashed Pototoes (Caulipots), and Romaine Lettuce with Caesar Chavez Dressing

Chickpea Piccata (pg 115) served over Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (Caulipots) (pg 54)
on top of a bed of arugula and baby spinach leaves
In the left-side background - romaine lettuce leaves with Caesar Chavez Dressing (pg 43)

After a long, busy weekend during which I fell off the wagon a bit, diet-wise, I made up for it tonight with a dinner using three, count 'em: three!, recipes from AFR. And let me tell you - this was a FANTASTIC meal, with rave reviews all around!

But first, a bit about life since dinner last Wednesday night...

On Thursday, the girls and I went to our weekly homeschool co-op meeting, during which we had our end-of-the-month potluck lunch. My dear friend Paula made these amazing Lebanese stuffed grape leaves, and I could. not. stop. eating them. Also, one of the other moms made cupcakes to celebrate March birthdays, which were very thoughtfully vegan (for our family) and gluten-free (for another family). How could I turn down one of these cupcakes?

On Friday, our family attended another potluck, this one hosted by Rip Esselstyn, author of The Engine 2 Diet. While all the food there was plant-strong and oil-free, it was also quite delicious, and I'm sure I ate too much. In addition, someone brought these gigantic chocolate-chip banana muffins, and I ate one of those, too. The whole thing. It was really good. But, beyond the food, it was a really fun event, and we got to meet lots of new people. A highlight was meeting Natala from Vegan Hope. She is such an inspiration!

On Saturday, El Hombre and SweetPotato got up early to make chocolate-chip banana muffins for breakfast, inspired, obviously, by the delicious muffins at the previous night's potluck. Saturday's breakfast muffins were smaller than those at the potluck, but ultra-delicious, and of course, I ate more than one.

And finally, on Sunday, we spent the day adventuring around town and thrift-store treasure hunting. We stopped for lunch at Counter Culture, on Natala's recommendation, and thoroughly enjoyed everything we ate. I had the Jackfruit BBQ sandwich, El Hombre had the Tempeh Reuben, SweetPea had the Philly Seitan sandwich (a big sandwich, for her!), and SweetPotato had the Almond Butter & Apple sandwich. And then, because obviously we had been food-deprived all weekend (um, not really), we sampled the desserts - the raw brownie bites, the donut holes, and the lime-basil cheezecake. Wow!

But back to tonight's dinner...

First, the Chickpea Piccata: I've been trying to make this dish for almost a week now, but someone kept drinking the cooking wine I purchased especially for this recipe! More than one bottle mysteriously emptied while I wasn't looking. I'm not naming names, but I have my suspicions. El Hombre claims it must be the cat's fault, but that doesn't sound right to me. Anyway. One of SweetPea's all-time favorite dishes is seitan piccata, which, while delicious, is not exactly low-fat or plant-strong. So, we were both excited to try this dish. She decided the chickpea piccata is equally as delicious as the seitan version, and even went back for a second helping, along with the cauliflower mashed potatoes.

Which brings me to the Caulipots, or cauliflower mashed potatoes: I was a little wary of this recipe, since I've made mashed cauliflower before and didn't really enjoy it very much. I suppose, then, I was expecting mashed cauliflower to be like mashed potatoes. It's not. But! When you combine mashed cauliflower WITH mashed potatoes, it's like magic! I couldn't really tell the cauliflower was there; it was pretty much like eating just mashed potatoes. And who doesn't love mashed potatoes?!?

And finally, the Caesar Chavez Dressing: Holymoly!!! Amazing! Devine! SO GOOD!!!! Words are not adequate to describe how delicious this salad dressing is. I wished my tongue was long enough to lick the inside of the blender jar. I'm so excited to have more of this on my salad at lunch time tomorrow.

All-in-all, this whole dinner was a winner. Raves all around, from every member of the family. Date-dinner- or dinner-party-worthy. I will be making this again, and again, and again, for sure!

Want the recipe for the Chickpea Piccata? You can get it here, but why not just get your own copy of the book with all 125 rocking recipes, while you're at it? You won't regret it.